Martin Schmeding, Concert Organist

Martin Schmeding (b. 1975) is an internationally renowned concert organist and professor, celebrated for his artistry and pedagogical influence. Honored with the Echo Klassik Award (2009), he is one of the most sought-after figures in the organ world today.
Schmeding studied church music, organ, recorder, conducting, harpsichord, and music theory in Hanover, Amsterdam, and Düsseldorf, earning soloist diplomas in both organ and recorder. His influential teachers—Ulrich Bremsteller, Lajos Rovatkay, Hans van Nieuwkoop, Jacques van Oortmerssen, and Jean Boyer—link him to the distinguished German, French, and Dutch organ traditions.

Schmeding has won numerous national and international competitions, including prizes at the Mendelssohn Bartholdy (Berlin), Pachelbel (Nuremberg), Böhm (Lüneburg), and Musica Antiqua (Bruges) competitions. He was a finalist in the prestigious ARD Competition in Munich and a recipient of several scholarships and cultural awards, including a national scholarship from the German government and the Cultural Grant of Lower Saxony.

Schmeding has taught at institutions in Hannover, Weimar, Dresden, and Freiburg, where he led the Department of Church Music and Organ. Since 2015, he has held the Chair of Artistic Organ Playing at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig and serves as director of the European Organ Academy. He is also Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music in London and a visiting professor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

An active performer, Schmeding appears as a soloist and chamber musician worldwide, including at festivals such as Bachfest Leipzig, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. He also teaches masterclasses internationally, serves as a jury member for major competitions, and publishes scholarly articles and music editions with leading publishers.